When we first saw Roseway moored at a rundown dock in Rockland, Maine, it was obvious she was exactly the right vessel for the World Ocean School. Despite her worn condition, Roseway’s history, build quality, and size made her uniquely suited to an educational sailing program.
Built in 1925 by John James at his family shipyard in Essex, Massachusetts, Roseway is one of only six original Essex-built Grand Banks schooners that survive. Designed in the 1920s and 1930s to outpace the Nova Scotian fishing schooners in international racing, she later earned recognition as a U.S. National Historic Landmark. Over the years Roseway developed a reputation for exceptional craftsmanship: she was constructed from a specially selected stand of white oak, maintained with varnished rails and stanchions, and kept in winter storage in her own custom-built house. Her upkeep was meticulous to the point that even coal intended for the galley stove was washed before being stowed.
At 137 feet sparred length (112 feet LOD) with a 25-foot beam and 12.5-foot draft, Roseway’s dimensions gave her both presence and seaworthiness. In the days just before the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Boston Globe reported Roseway’s sale to the Boston Harbor Pilots Association on Dec. 7, 1941. By spring 1942 she had been armed with a .50-caliber machine gun and assigned to the First Naval District for patrol duty. She served the pilots reliably for 32 years and was the last pilot schooner in the United States when she was retired from that role in 1973.
After her pilot service ended, Roseway underwent a change of use. A group of Boston businessmen converted her for passenger service, rebuilding her belowdecks to meet Coast Guard requirements and operating her as a windjammer in Camden. Financial difficulties later led to her repossession by the First National Bank of Damariscotta.
World Ocean School acquired Roseway in September 2002 and immediately faced the challenge of finding a yard capable of hauling a 260-ton vessel with a 12.5-foot draft. We chose Sample’s Shipyard (now Boothbay Harbor Shipyard) in Boothbay Harbor, Maine. In the early hours of Nov. 21, with a skeleton crew of two aboard, Roseway was lashed to a tug in Rockland Harbor and towed to Boothbay. At the next high tide she was hauled out on the shipway to begin an exhaustive restoration.
The scope of work was immense. From the waterline up, much of the vessel needed replacement, and her midship area down to the keel required extensive attention. She needed a new engine, foremast, sails, decking, and a complete redesign of the belowdecks to suit educational programming and safety standards.
We gutted the interior and removed 40 tons of iron ballast to assess the hull’s condition and locate leaks. To our surprise, despite her poor appearance, Roseway required pumping only about once a week. With the interior structure exposed, we engaged Atlantic Shipbuilding and Repair to begin repairing frames and the inner faces of planks. After a period of careful inspection and measuring, a detailed estimate guided the extensive repairs ahead.
The shipyard coordinated most subcontractors, but we were able to run a parallel crew working side-by-side with yard teams. On average ten people worked full-time on Roseway, with a smaller weekend crew, and work continued seven days a week through rain, sleet, snow, and summer heat. Restoring Roseway demanded vast quantities of lumber sourced up and down the East Coast: large white oak timbers, select white and yellow pine, and a Douglas fir mast. The timber sizes were formidable — curved frame sections and futtocks measuring roughly 8 by 8 by 6 feet and weighing hundreds of pounds, planks three inches thick and up to 30 feet long, and ceiling timbers of 4 by 12 by 20 inches that functioned like structural beams. Much of this material had to be steamed and bent into place while hot to match the hull’s complex curves.
Her relaunched sailing remains unforgettable. For our first major World Ocean School fundraiser, Roseway sailed from the shipyard to Rockport with her sails full. Watching her break through the swell, fully returned to life, was an emotional moment — a powerful confirmation that the long, demanding restoration had been worth every hour.
Today Roseway divides her year between two regions: she winters in St. Croix and summers in the Northeast, primarily operating out of Boston. In both seasons she serves as a floating classroom and offers day sails to the public, continuing her legacy as a historic, educational, and seafaring icon.
SPECIFICATIONS
LOA: 137 feet
LOD: 112 feet
BEAM: 25 feet
DRAFT: 12.5 feet
SAIL AREA: 5,600 square feet
POWER: 400 hp diesel engine
Electronics: radar, GPS, VHF, cellular phone; two generator sets
See related story: Refit gives new life to classic Maine schooner
This article originally appeared in the New England Home Waters section of the August 2009 issue.